Reusables Are Safe During The Pandemic

Posted Web AdminPosted in Uncategorized

By Emerson Damiano, IOC Intern During the stay at home order earlier this year due to COVID-19, the news shared stories of lowered CO2 emissions, dolphins and fish in the clear canals of Venice, and an overall temporary improvement of our ecological crisis. However, these stories were not the full truth. In reality, dolphins were not reentering the polluted canals but were visiting Sardinia, an island hundreds of miles away. Emissions into the atmosphere, while […]

Inland Ocean Ambassadors

Posted Web AdminPosted in Advocacy, Ocean Ambassadors, Uncategorized

As COVID-19 became a global threat in early 2020, we needed to rethink our in-person volunteer training strategy. With chapters around the country, going virtual provided an opportunity to take our volunteer leadership trainings online and expand our inland ocean community. The virtual Inland Ocean Ambassador Certification Program brought together 25 Ocean Ambassadors from 12 different states for a four-week intensive training on ocean leadership to further grow the inland ocean network. The inland ocean […]

Select Committee Releases Climate Report

Posted Sophia ZengierskiPosted in Advocacy, Policy, Take Action

Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Report: Release is Today! By Sophia Zengierski Back in January, the House of Representatives put together the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. Since then, its members have been working with leaders on climate to determine recommendations on policies and strategies to ensure a better future for generations to come. After these months of investigations and hearings, the Committee released a report of findings today, June 30th.  Made up […]

On the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Rollback

Posted Sophia ZengierskiPosted in Advocacy, Policy, Take Action

By Sophia Zengierski In a time of national division and crisis, President Trump has chosen to roll back protections on the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. Signing this executive order means opening the area up and putting wildlife and habitats at risk.  In the race to protect 30% of the Earth’s land and seas by 2030, every protected area counts. But why are protected areas so important? Quite frankly, marine protected areas allow […]

How Ocean Health is Improving During the Pandemic

Posted Web AdminPosted in Wildlife

By Maya Chastang, an eighth grade student at Summit Middle School in Boulder, Colorado In the midst of a global pandemic, it’s hard to see how any good can come from this tragedy. However, because people are traveling and polluting less, the environment is getting a well-deserved break.  I’ve been seeing a lot of posts on social media lately, reporting wild goats wandering down from the hills in Wales and into people’s yards, and drastically […]

Plastic Pollution Legislation in Colorado

Posted Web AdminLeave a commentPosted in Advocacy, Clean Water, Plastic, Policy

This year Colorado is taking steps to reduce plastic pollution in the state through three legislative measures. First, SB 10 would have overturned a plastic preemption measure—essentially a ban on bans—that barred local governments and communities from creating their own bans on plastic items or regulating any plastic products within their jurisdiction. The bill was heard in the Local Government Committee on February 4th. Melissa, the Inland Ocean Coalition’s (IOC’s) new Community Engagement Manager, provided […]

The Meaning of Salmon

Posted Web Admin2 CommentsPosted in Advocacy, Clean Water, Watersheds, Wildlife

By Stephen C. Curro, Inland Ocean Coalition Volunteer Say the word “salmon” and different people think of different things. To foodies, salmon is a tasty meal rich in omega-3s. To anglers, it’s a gorgeous fish to fool on a line. To Native Americans and First Nations Peoples, it’s an important part of their culture and the web of life itself. To naturalists and adventure seekers, it’s a symbol of the wild. Salmon are remarkable creatures. […]

What’s the Fishue with Orca Whales?

Posted Web AdminLeave a commentPosted in Advocacy, Clean Water, Policy, Wildlife

By Taylor Shedd, Inland Ocean Coalition Policy Manager Some of you may know that June is orca awareness month. Few of you may know that there is a unique population of orca whales that live in the Pacific Northwest called the Southern Residents that are critically endangered. Even fewer of you may know that I, Taylor, am the Inland Ocean Coalition’s newest staff member serving as our Ocean Policy Manager. I am also an orca […]

Algal Blooms and Protecting Waterways

Posted Web AdminLeave a commentPosted in Clean Water, Watersheds

By Gregory Knight The summer is approaching and it’s easy to notice the vegetation around us becoming more green. The days are longer and the weather is warmer. During the warmer part of the year we may also take notice of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in ponds, waterways, and lakes. HABs are present in all 50 states and harm aquatic ecosystems. With an increased understanding of the problem, we can take steps in the community […]

Conservation Under the Trump Administration

Posted Web AdminLeave a commentPosted in Clean Water, Policy, Take Action

By Jacob Villalobos, trained Ocean Ranger and Inland Ocean Coalition volunteer The Trump administration has a very different definition of conservation. Following the December announcement that the sizes of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments of Utah will be greatly reduced, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke released the next step for “responsible extraction” of America’s oil and gas resources along the nation’s coast. The National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program […]